Artists

A cellist, vocalist, guitarist, and award winning composer, Stephen Katz premiered his cello compositions at Carnegie Recital Hall and performs frequently with the Paul Winter Consort. He is a pioneer in the art of counterpoint strumming techniques for the cello and has developed a repertoire of compositions that incorporate melody and accompaniment into highly rhythmic, uniquely idiomatic cello solos.

In Stephen's Cello Temple events, held in open dance spaces and yoga studios, audients are invited to write, draw, lay on the floor, or get up and move while listening to his improvised and composed music. He also uses live looping electronics to generate dynamic orchestral textures, and has distinguished himself as a composer of tightly composed cello pieces that unfold loop-by-loop in concert.

Derek Snyder has appeared as a soloist with orchestras in the United States and Europe, and has collaborated as a chamber musician with members of some of the country's most exciting ensembles, including the Cavani and Cleveland string quartets, the Cleveland Orchestra, and Detroit, Montreal and Baltimore Symphonies.

He has created numerous transcriptions and arrangements for cello ensembles, focusing primarily on the music of jazz great Dave Brubeck and nuevo tango master Astor Piazzolla. His arrangements of music by Brubeck (as preformed by the Yale Cellos) can be heard on the Naxos label.

TANGO: the sultry, darkly beautiful dance music of Argentina is brought to life in the Northern Hemisphere by the Midwest's foremost tango band, the Oblivion Project. Composed of some of the finest musicians in the area, the group explores the music of the legendary composer Astor Piazzolla. Created to interpret the music of Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla, The Oblivion Project's annual tango concerts at the beloved Kerrytown Concert House in Ann Arbor, Michigan are one of the venue's most popular springtime events. Like no other music, the passion-filled and dramatic tangos of Astor Piazzolla evoke the mystery and romance of Buenos Aires after dark.